This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for packaging bales of material by using a paper pulp strap.
A specific segment of the paper industry concerns itself with the manufacture of paper pulp for use in other papermaking operations. Pulp is packaged in bales of stacked, cut sheets. Pulp bales are commonly 16" high 33" square and weigh approximately 550 lbs. After the sheets are stacked, they are compressed and wrapped with larger sheets of paper and usually tied with wire. The bales are then unitized in large stacks and held in the warehouse for later distribution, either within the manufacturing paper company's operations or for sale to other paper mills.
When the end user receives these bales and prepares them for processing, they must be untied so that the wire does not foul the hydropulping system, which redissolves the paper fibers in water for further processing. If the wire is not efficiently removed from the bale, it may follow the bale into the hydropulping system and wrap around the large impellers that agitate the slurry. This fouling reduces efficiency and requires frequent shutdown of the machinery to remove it. Manually handling the wire for disposal exposes the operator to potentials for puncture or cut injuries from the wire since the wire is usually under some tension when it is cut and has a tendency to rebound, or whip.
This invention provides a banding system that uses a repulpable band that can be easily repulped in the hydropulper along with the pulp. A novel apparatus is provided to apply the band to the pulp bales as they are manufactured.
The repulpable band used for this purpose is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,029 to Rodriguez. This tape is a plurality of twisted yarns glued adjacent to one another by a water-soluble adhesive to form a uniform, flat band. The adhesives and paper used in manufacture of this band may be specifically formulated to be easily repulped. The band may be made weather-resistant or water-resistant, if repulping is not necessary. As can be seen, if this band is used to strap bales of pulp, it would pose a lower risk of contamination if lost in the hydropulper. The band is also much softer than wire and poses significantly less potential for injury to the operators handling it. This will also reduce the waste by-product of wire from the paper making process.
It is an object of this invention to provide a novel method and apparatus of applying a tight, encircling strap around a bundle of material. It is another object of this invention to provide a novel method and apparatus of employing a strap made of repulpable paper to tie a bundle of material. Still other objects will appear from the more detailed description which follows.